Sweet Surrender
by Eirist
Summary: Though somehow in the middle of their often misinterpreted relationship, they did realize...


**Disclaimer:** One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.

**Reminder:** I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

**Warning:** OOC possible. One shot scribble.

**Rating: **T (Sweet and light this time)

**Note: **I just wanted to digress from the usual and just place these two in a light moment together. Plus, I needed to create something to get the writing gears going on again and finish some still-pending prompt requests.

**Summary: **_Though somehow in the middle of their often misinterpreted relationship, they did realize..._

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**Sweet Surrender**

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He stood in silence inside the darkened library with the corner of his mouth lifted up in amusement as his good eye settled on the hunched figure, draped peacefully over her mapping desk, fast asleep.

He noticed that there were maps drying on the table in the center of the room. Zoro counted five of them… with the sixth one still half-done and right underneath the slumbering navigator.

Shaking his head, he approached her. From the looks of it (and based on the number of maps she finished, the fact that he hadn't seen her since lunch and the idiot's cook non-stop wailing about his Nami-_swan_ not coming down from the library for dinner), she'd been drawing and charting for almost the whole day.

Zoro studied the orange-haired girl. She could've stopped working once she was tired, instead of randomly falling asleep while still in the middle of sketching.

But this is Nami.

And she is freaking stubborn as hell.

Besides, drawing maps… are her pride and joy. And once she gets into the zone it would be hard to make her take a break.

He learned it the hard way.

With her head still resting on her right arm, Nami continued to doze. There was no movement from her at all, except for the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. Not even to swipe away an errant lock of hair that randomly fell across her face.

Standing near her, he noted the scattered quills, measuring instruments and notebooks surrounding her. Three bottles of ink were uncapped. He made a clicking sound with his tongue at her carelessness.

He covered the bottles, placing them on the nearest bookshelf, far away from the danger of accidentally spilling all over the mapmaker and her desk.

Zoro gently removed the eyeglasses she was clutching in her hand, placing it aside. He reached out to brush the stray strand away from her face, before glancing towards the unfinished map that she was using as a pillow.

As softly as possible, he tapped a finger on a random black line, checking if the ink on them is still wet. If it is, Nami will be waking up with hard-to-remove lines and figures on her face and arms.

Luckily, he realized, she had fallen asleep on the still blank part of the paper.

A snore unexpectedly came from her—loud and scandalous—earning a roll of his grey eye, as well as a snort from him.

Talk about unladylike and ungraceful. She'll be pissed to know that she _does_ snore despite her claims of being 'delicate' and 'decorous'.

She suddenly mumbled something under her breath and he crept closer to hear her better.

"Mmm..." she murmured. "Tie up the sails… a storm is coming in half a minute… steer the ship 30 degrees northeast! Zoro! Get your lazy ass moving... mmm..." her voice trailed off, snoring again before she was pulled into a much deeper sleep cycle.

He didn't fight the smile that crept across his face. Even asleep she was still navigating, forecasting the weather...

And ordering him around as usual.

Her head lolled to the left, as she probably tried to turn her body in her sleep. His hand immediately came up to prevent her from rolling her face across her still-drying work.

"Uuhmmm..." she groaned. That pulled her out of her sleep. She drowsily opened her eyes to stare at him, her brown eyes unfocused.

"You're gonna nose dive into your map and desk," Zoro explained, unconsciously rubbing his thumb on her cheek while checking her face for ink marks.

She just blinked up at him, still in a half-asleep state.

Zoro sighed at her response or lack thereof. "Let's get you to bed," he suggested as he moved to slip an arm under her knees and back, effortlessly lifting her up.

"Hmmm..." she hummed dozily, automatically snuggling closer to him. "Not yet..."

"You're already tired. Just call it a night."

"Mmmm…"

"I'll take you to your room. You can finish the rest of your maps tomorrow alright?"

A slight shake of her head told him no.

He gazed at her disapprovingly.

"I still have to clean up..." she whispered. "There are—"

"I'll tidy it up ok? Just get some sleep."

She finally tilted her head back to regard him through half-lidded eyes. "Really?" She asked amusedly though a bit groggily.

"Really."

"That's just..." she closed her eyes and nuzzled his chest again. "Great…"

Zoro grunted in response.

"Though I still want to draw..." the cat thief murmured, yawning.

"_Tch_ Nami!"

"Hmm... I still want to..." her voice trailed off.

"What you want is to rest," Zoro muttered. "Why are you so obstinate?"

That seemed to wake up her willful self that loves contesting with him.

"Hah!" She chortled as she blearily looked up to him. "Speak for yourself!"

"You should learn to listen sometimes; it could be good for you."

"Right back at you, stubborn swordsman."

"_Tch_."

They held each other's gaze in challenging way.

He gotta hand in to the navigator… and here he thought she doesn't have enough energy to argue or contradict him.

Such vitality. Just to get an opportunity to hand his ass over to him.

Maybe it is in her nature to go against him?

Just like it is in his.

"You can't tell me what to do Zoro," she declared haughtily.

"And you can?" Zoro countered, referring to all the occasions she had bossed him around.

"Yes!" Nami said with a curt nod.

The green-haired man hauled her up a bit higher brusquely, so they were face to face.

They continued staring at each other waiting for the other to give in. Zoro, trying to impose his sensible suggestion for her to get some rest. While Nami was adamant on being hard-headed.

Nami finally puffed her cheeks, one definite sign that she's willing to concede as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She hates it when he has a point. But to be honest, she can barely keep herself awake anymore, and being cradled against his muscled chest was not helping at all.

"Fine you win," she reluctantly said. "But only if you put me in bed."

Zoro smirked, having won this round. "With pleasure."

"And tidy my stuff."

"Sure."

She sighed contentedly at that, pressing herself closer to him and resting her head on the crook of his neck. "Mmmm... It's so comfortable here…" she said quietly.

He really doubted it if he's more cozy than her bed. But from what she had just said and from the way she had her arms around him... it had him blushing just a bit.

He can feel her fingers, drawing island shapes on his shoulder in a rather lazy but soothing manner.

"Make sure my maps and tools are a-ok alright?" She requested her breath tickling the skin of his neck.

"Yes your wickedness," Zoro drawled.

"Or debts will sky rocket," she threatened before yawning and finally closing her eyes again. "And I'll hold your swords and cleaning kit hostages."

He just snorted at the empty threat, making his way out of the library.

But not before kissing her forehead softly. A sort of reward.

"So sweet Zoro..."

"Shut up."

Her smile was radiant even as she slipped back into the land of dreams with another contented sigh.

Two willful people just don't yield to another that easily. Though somehow in the middle of their often misinterpreted relationship, they did realize...

Sometimes it's not really bad to give in to each other.

As every towel thrown on the ground between them will always be a sweet surrender.

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_**–**__** The End –**_

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_**R and R please. **_


End file.
